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33 votes
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Mask off
26 votes -
What makes a video essay good?
Youtube channels like CGP Grey, Kurzgesagt, Vsauce and Nerdwriter are all incredibly popular. They bring up interesting topics, explain them fairly well, and have high production quality. But to...
Youtube channels like CGP Grey, Kurzgesagt, Vsauce and Nerdwriter are all incredibly popular. They bring up interesting topics, explain them fairly well, and have high production quality. But to me, something is missing. I'm not sure how to formulate my criticism, since it has nothing to do with the quality of their videos.
It feels like the mentioned channels lack depth. They give off an uncomfortable "pop-science" vibe. Pop-science isn't wrong, I have nothing against it. But they feel too "poppy". They provide sources, but the commentary is directed to people who don't read. They don't dare to use precise words, in case the audience won't understand them. I get the feeling that they make their videos for the lowest common denominator: persons who doesn't read, persons who can't google and persons who want to make no effort to actually learn.
I'd feel bad to only mention bad examples, so here is a list of high-effort video-creators with (in my eyes) good content:
Lindsay Ellis: Long-form film reviews that actually go into the details.
Every Frame a Painting: Very high-quality analyses of film directors and their styles.
3Blue1Brown: Beautifully animated math visualizations explaining multiple areas of mathematics.
Captain Disillusion: Critically debunking and deconstructing fake videos.
Historia Civilis: In-depth historical videos about Rome.
Bliss Foster: A hidden gem, with only 1000 subscribers, analysing runway shows.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on what makes a good video essay. I'd also really like some suggestions for more creators to follow.
26 votes -
Jurassic Park turns thirty
25 votes -
Tracing the roots of pop culture transphobia
20 votes -
How to get a book deal in ten years or less
18 votes -
Former YouTuber Lindsay Ellis says she’s learning to live with the trauma of being ‘canceled’
16 votes -
Into The Omegaverse: How furry fanfic tropes landed in federal court - Featuring LegalEagle, Contrapoints, Caitlin Doughty, and more
15 votes -
The Ballad of John and Yoko - Lindsay Ellis
13 votes -
How Aladdin changed animation (by screwing over Robin Williams)
13 votes -
Lindsay Ellis - How they adapted the Lord of the Rings (the good one)
12 votes -
Reevaluating The Little Mermaid before Disney horks up another live action remake
12 votes -
Protest music of the Bush era
12 votes -
Death of the author
10 votes -
'That time Disney remade Beauty and the Beast' - On Disney's ongoing live action remake trend
10 votes -
Why Borat works better in 2020 than in 2006
9 votes -
How can we betray each other less on the Internet?
I was thinking about having a general purpose thread about internet drama venting, but that seems like a very bad idea if all the top level threads are different gripes and one in particular gets...
I was thinking about having a general purpose thread about internet drama venting, but that seems like a very bad idea if all the top level threads are different gripes and one in particular gets out of control, so here's mine and this can be dealt with as needed.
There was this recent issue in left adjacent Twitter of a notable YouTube person inviting someone else to read a quote for a bigger project. Invitee had controversial views on gender dysphoria, the host defended their decision, and details aren't super important for what I want to talk about.
I see where Natalie is coming from if she wants to make a point about Tolerance and Outgroups. I think this was the wrong way to do that, #BuckisWrong, but I don't think brigading her on Twitter and asking her social group to disavow her is appropriate, however, I don't have any skin in the game outside of being an anxious cis white male who thinks Twitter enables and thrives off of toxic discourse.I get that this is all some of you are willing to talk about but I want to talk about the meta and the behavior here, so please pretend they're all Martians for the time being.
What I want to talk about is how the internet specifically reacted, asking the creator's circle to walk back any endorsement of them, holding them to a fire and how much it kind of fits in into a pattern of isolation featured earlier in Lindsay Ellis' presentation about being shamed online, and propose that what makes an internet outrage mob is kind of values neutral.
Obviously, your -ism of choice would factor into an internet hate mob and make it into the Eternal Tire Fire that the internet is known for birthing these days, but the key spark seems to be a betrayal of trust. You thought someone or something was in your corner/was values neutral/shared your politics and when that is not the case, you simply want it gone. It was kind of always in the discussion with "Cancel Culture Concern," but it hasn't really clicked until now for me that it's such a common thread.
So, assuming we can't nor want to make it impossible to betray one another or make the Internet a safe space for everybody and for all sensibilities, can we cut down on this outcome, is it incentivised through engagement metrics, and/or is it just something that comes with the ability to mass broadcast and mass response?
9 votes -
Lindsay Ellis, video essayist - XOXO Festival 2019
9 votes -
Another Game of Thrones hot take
8 votes -
Food and fiction: Memorable meals in literature
8 votes -
How Aladdin changed animation (by screwing over Robin Williams)
7 votes -
The evolution of YA: Young adult fiction, explained (feat. Lindsay Ellis) | It's lit!
7 votes -
The Ideology of the First Order
7 votes -
Lindsay Ellis - We don’t talk about ET
6 votes -
Abuse and toxic masculinity: The complex themes of Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2
5 votes